// Category Archive for: Reviews

TV Review: Outsiders S1 E05, “Demolition”

By Laury Scarbro

In the aftermath of the sheriff’s untimely demise, Haylie takes it upon herself to go work her verbal voodoo on the new sheriff, Wade. Taking him a basket of goodies with some alcohol and oxycodone tucked in the bottom could grease a few wheels, so why not? He’s not entirely stupid, though; he blames her for the former sheriff’s death, and calls her out on the fact that she just wants him to do what she says. He finds the alcohol of course, and tucks the pills away in his pocket. It’s pretty obvious that he suspects an ulterior motive.

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TV Review: The Walking Dead S06 E12, “Not Tomorrow Yet”

By Laury Scarbro

This week’s installment of The Walking Dead is what I like to think of as “the moment when everything changes.” Sure, the show is always evolving, always changing, but I can’t help having the overwhelming sense that there’s a major shift lurking just around the corner. Carol’s back to her baking, this time with acorn and beet cookies that she hand delivers to everyone. Recall in Season 5, she explained to Sam that cooking distracted her and made her forget when she was sad? I’m thinking she’s dealing with much more than she’s letting on. That much is evident by her leaving a cookie on Sam’s grave.

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Album Review: Northless, Cold Migration

By Tim Murr

What better album to crank up and get lost in on a cold, snowy day than the new three-song EP, Cold Migration, from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin band, Northless? It clocks in at less than 25 minutes, but feels as meaty, strong, and satisfying as a full-length LP. Northless evokes the desolation and loneliness of an endless winter’s journey.

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Blu-Ray Review: American Horror Project Volume One

By Tim Murr

When you delve into the glut of independent American cinema from the 1970s, you’ll be amazed at how many films were actually produced in that decade by penniless mavericks far from the infrastructure of Hollywood or New York City. Remember, too, that film- making was a massive undertaking, not just in the pre-digital world, but also pre-video. (For some insight into the trials and tribulations into the hardships of the indie horror director in the ’70s, please check out the book Shock Value by Jason Zinoman.)

The fact that we have small indie efforts like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Deranged, Night Of The Living Dead, Last House On The Left, Driller Killer, or Phantasm that have risen to the status of bonafide American classics or, at least, cult classics, is something we should all be thankful for. So many films from the grindhouse circuit have been lost to history. That’s where Arrow Video comes in with the start of an amazing new series, American Horror Project.

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TV Review: Fuller House S1 E13, “Love Is In The Air”

By Tyler Hodg

The final episode of Fuller House’s first season comes to an end in a predictable, yet endearing way. D.J. chooses herself over Matt and Steve, Kimmy calls off her wedding with Fernando, and the two families realize they are better off together.

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TV Review: Fuller House S1 E11, “Partnerships In The Night”

By Tyler Hodg

Namaste to Fuller House as yet another decent episode appears–this time, with an added international element.

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TV Review: Broad City S3 E03, “Game Over”

By Sachin Hingoo

“Total transparency: I spent most of the day coloring in my tummy.”–Ilana

There’s been no more enduring question on Broad City than, “What would it take for Ilana to get fired from her job?” This week, that question was finally answered. The first two seasons of the show had Ilana managing to miraculously hold onto her job at an online group deals business, mostly thanks to her ability to steamroll Todd, her meek and easily-cowed boss. Though it seems that Ilana can’t possibly get fired for any of her behavior, regardless of how outrageous, it seems wearing a dog hoodie to the office and tweeting out a hardcore bestiality video on the company’s Twitter account seems to have finally done the trick.

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Music Review: Voivod, Post Society EP

By Tim Murr

Formed in Quebec in 1983, the prog-metal masters Voivod have shifted and mutated, thrilling fans across 13 studio albums. Their 1984 debut album, War and Pain, was a paint-peeling thrash classic. It was to metal what The Road Warrior was to cinema; a line in the sand for others to dash across. With each album up to Angel Rat, when the band started to splinter, Voivod progressed and evolved their sci-fi Rush-meets-Motorhead approach.

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Music Review: Penny & Sparrow, Let A Lover Drown You

By Melissa Bratcher

Penny & Sparrow’s Let A Lover Drown You is the kind of album that feels like you shouldn’t be hearing it. It’s remarkably intimate and naked. It’s emotionally raw, but produced so beautifully that raw isn’t quite the right word. Bare. Honest. Personal. It made me feel like a voyeur listening to it, in the way that sometimes Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam’s songs do. These are quietly organic moments, snapshots of lives, that happen to be gorgeous songs.

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In Case You Missed It: February 28 – March 5, 2016–Twitter Trolls, TV & More

By Less Lee Moore

This week was part February, part March, and jam-packed with pop culture.

Twitter recently vowed to fight harassment online. Naturally racist and misogynist trolls were outraged, which is hilarious considering their constant whining about “social justice warriors” being outraged on Twitter. Here is an excellent report on the whys and wherefores of this new announcement and whether or not it stands a chance of being successful.

Speaking of controversy, did you know that a straight Christian man posed as gay for a year and then wrote a book about it? It’s pretty illuminating.

If you haven’t been paying attention, our own Tyler Hodg has been faithfully recapping every episode of the new Fuller House series on Netflix. So far, the show has been wildly uneven, but might finally get it right around episode 10. Too bad there are only three more to go…

Also in TV news, Lucha Underground picks itself up after a not-so-great episode from last week (though Sachin warns that we shouldn’t mention Sexy Star vs. Kobra Moon ever again), Outsiders still refuses to develop some of its characters for some reason, and The Walking Dead introduces a new insufferable character named Gregory. Oh, and (spoiler alert) Rick kills someone. Again. (Can’t take that guy anywhere.)

If you’re looking for some old movies you might have missed, Jeffery’s here to help. Check out the new Nikkatsu Diamond Guys Vol. 1 collection from Arrow or The Bees from Vinegar Syndrome, which includes not only bees but also John Saxon.

Everyone’s been talking about Deadpool lately, but why? As Laury reports, it might just be the comic book movie that will change the game. It got her to become a Ryan Reynolds fan, after all. Wrestling aficionados will be interested in new documentary The Sheik, which Jeffery notes that at times feels more scripted than your average wrestling match.

New music this week gets reviewed by Melissa. It includes the self-referentially titled but ultimately disappointing Music To Listen To Music To from La Sera and the much more enjoyable Poison & Medicine from Marc Stone, who hails from New York but has a shockingly good grasp on New Orleans and the blues.

It’s 2016 and that might mean a new Lana Del Rey album is in the near future. But what if you’re still not sick of listening to Honeymoon yet? Matt Craven explains why it might be her secret masterpiece.

Perhaps the only kind of music more divisive than LDR or rap is country. You might be a country music fan if you like even one of these 16 tunes.

What happened this week on Today In Pop Culture? The Bermuda Triangle, The National Anthem, King Kong, The Salem Witch Trials, and how Leap Year fits into the space-time continnum.